Devotional bench



Patented len.. 9, i923.

entren CHESTER E. WALKER, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

DEVOTONAL BENCH.

Application filed September 5, 1921. Serial No. 498,596.

To all whom t may con-cern Be it known that l, CI-Ins'rnn E. llilinnnn, a

citizen oi the United States. a resident oit Peoria, in the county ot Peoria `and State of l-llinois, have invented new and `useful linprovements in Devotional Benches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to devotional benches, andit has for its principal object to provide a collapsible or sectional bench, including end supports, a kneeling part and an arm or body rest. rlhe several parts being provided with complementary ,locking members, whereby the several parts may be easily and quickly assembled and disassembled that the bench may be moved from place to place.

rIhe invention has for a further object to provide a collapsible or sectional bench, iiicluding a kneeling part comprising a box in which the several other parts may be stored or housed; the construction ot other parts being of such a character that th y may have an interiitting relation in said box.

That the invention may be more fully understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specilication7 illustrating ar preferred embodiment oi the invention, in which :h

F ig. l is a side elevation of the bench assembled for use;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation ot F l;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation oi? the bench, disassembled, the parts being in relation to each other ready Ytor assembling;

Fig. is a plan View olf the box, the lid being raised to show the other parts ol the bench packed or stored therein;

ltig. 5 is a cross sectioi'i of the boi; as the same would appear on the line 5-5 Fig. Ll;

Fig. G is a detail sectional view as the same would appear, it taken on the line (5*6 Fie 2;

Fig. 7 shows in section the complementary locking members' used to connect the arm or body rest, or the box with thesupports, and

Fig. S is an end elevation oi.: certain of the i locking members.

Like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the figures.

The devotional bench herein shown and described may have many uses, but is par ticularly useful at 'uneral rites in churches or other places, At certain iuneral services it is the custom for friends of the deceased to kneel beside the casket both. to view the deceased person and also to offer prayer for the repose of the soul of such deceased person. Heretoore the friends have knelt beside the casket resting the arms and body thereagainst. Such caskets, if finished with highly polished wood `or it covered with the light colored. cloth, it is at once apparent that the `polished surface of the casket not only becomes marred byl scratching` or the cloth becomes soilec. My bench will obviate this, as well as provide a comfortable kneelingand arm andbody rest, and being constructed in knock-down form may be readily and quickly assembled and' disassembled and the parts packed for storage in the kneeling oX. d

The bench includes the end supports l, l; the top connecting bar 2 also forming a sup port or rest for cushions, 3, and the kneeling rest 4l, preferably made in the form o't a box, provided with the hinged lid or cover 5, and also having a handle 6 for moving the boi; with otherlparts of the bench packed or stored therein. The lid or cover 5 being upholstered, as at 7, as shown.

The end supports l, l, maybe o' any suitable design, preferably as shown in `Fig. `l, but having upper inturned or offset ends S, preferably faced by the metal strip 9, and said strips and the 'face of said off-set ends are provided with angular slots l0 forming elements of the complementary locking members for detachably connecting the connecting bar 2 to said supports.` The ends oi said connecting bar being also faced by the metal strips ll and having connected thereto or formed `thereon the angular hooks l2 which are inserted into the slots l0 and the bar dropped into a position corresponding to that shown in Fig. 7.

The end supports l form a compact rit for the bar 2 and the box and the object of the offset ends S is to use a bar 2 shorter than the length oi the box el so that the formery may be stored endwise in the box, when the parts are packed, as shown in Figure 1i.` l

The inner lower faces of the supports l, l are provided with locking elements corresponding to 9' and l0 and the ends of the kneeling rest or box have connected thereto or formed thereon locking elements corresponding to ll and l2, and adapted to be assembled anddisassembled in the manner shown in Fig. 7.

.ln addition to the securing means de-` scribed between the ends oi.l the box er and theJ llO connection preventing endvvise movement of the cushions and detachably retaining the same in place. I also prefer to malte the lcushions long enough so that When they are in place on the bar 2 they Vwill extend over the ends of said bar, see Fig. 2.

The cushions 3 are made over, preferably Wooden frames 17 `which iit snugly over the bar Q, see Fig. 6,

It is obvious from the foregoing descrip-` tion that modifications of structure vmay be made Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, not Wish to be limited to the structure shown, except asvdeiinedby the claims.

' Vhat I claim is:

1. A devotional bench, including inr combination, a pair of end supports, a bar arranged for detachable connection to the upper ends of said supports, a box having a hinged cover and arranged for rdetachable connection to the lower ends of said supports, and padded armrests arranged for detachableconnection with said bar, said box adapted to have packed therein the other elements of said bench when disassembled.

and I therefore do 2. A devotional bench, including in combination, a pair of spaced end supports, thedistance betweenI which at their upper ends is less than `at their vlower ends, an arm rest spacing and connecting the upper endsof said supports, a kneeling rest spacing and connecting the lower ends of said supports, said kneeling rest comprising a hinged box for housing the arm rest vand end supports. v

3. A devotional bench, including in conibination, a pair of end supports, a kneeling rest spacing and connecting the lower ends of saidsupports, and comprising a box to receive and store the remaining elements of said bench, an arm rest spacing and connecting the upper ends of said supports, pads for said rest, and means for detachably securing said pads `to said arm rest. i el. A devotional bench, including in c0mbination, a pair of end supports, a bar to space and connect the upper ends of said supports, said bar and supports havingvcomplementary locking means, a box lhaving a hinged cover adapted for spacing andy connecting the lower ends of said supports, said box and supports havingycomplementary locking means, and arm rests arranged for removable connection with said bar and to lie lengthwise thereon, said box being of a size suitable to receive the bar, supports and pad for storage and shipping purposes.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my hand this 3rd day of September, 1921. CHESTER E. WALKER. 

